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Gaither Report

The so-called Gaither Report was presented to PresidentEisenhower on November 7, 1957. The paper's official title was Deterrence & Survival in the Nuclear Age. It recommended a significant strengthening of U.S. strategic offensive and defensive military capabilities.

While the president had asked for an evaluation of fall out and blast shelters, the opening page of the report stated that their purpose was to “form a broadbrush opinion of the relative value of various active and passive measures to protect the civilian populations in case of nuclear attack and its aftermath.” This look at active protective measures relegated shelters to a secondary position in a report now concentrated on nuclear deterrence. The rationale for this can be found in their assumption that the Soviet Union, with its expedient development of military technology, had already exceeded the technical achievements made by the U.S. in ICBM research.

References

Rearden, Steven L. Reassessing the Gaither Report's Role. Review of The Gaither Committee, Eisenhower, and the Cold War by David L. Snead. Political Review Net, Blackwell Publishing, November 14, 2001.